Caribou Children’s Discovery Museum receives $5,000 grant

By Barbara Scott, Aroostook Republican & News •July 8, 2011 8:29 pm

CARIBOU, Maine — The Caribou Children’s Discovery Museum has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Narragansett Number One Foundation.

The Narragansett Number One Foundation is a Bar Mills-based nonprofit established by Pat and Erwin Wales in 2001, 13 days after they won the national Powerball lottery. To get things started, the Wales family donated $5 million to the foundation, which accepts donations from other individuals, organizations or companies if they so wish.

In early May, Nancy Chandler, who is president of the children’s museum, wrote a grant application to the foundation and by the middle of June, received the news that the museum would receive the grant.

Chandler said the museum also would be involved in many fundraisers this summer. Among them will be the summerlong Summer Cash Splash fundraiser. Museum volunteers and board members will sell raffle tickets for cash drawings to take place every day during the month of September, for a total giveaway of $1,200.

Each day a drawing will be held for a different amount of money — for example, on Sept. 15, the drawing will be for $200. Every Saturday the winners of $75 will be drawn and on Sundays the amount will be $50.

“This is a great opportunity for folks to help the Children’s Discovery Museum reach its goal of establishing a center of learning and fun for Aroostook children and their families,” Chandler stated.

Summer Cash Splash tickets will be sold at the Arootsakoostik Festival in New Sweden, July 9; at the Fort Fairfield Potato Blossom Festival July 9-17; and at the Caribou Cares About Kids weekend in August.